


Teamwork

by SnowhunterVaria



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, She deserves more, please love A2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 05:24:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11983080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowhunterVaria/pseuds/SnowhunterVaria
Summary: A2 and 12S realize their teamwork could use some improvement. They'll get their eventually.





	Teamwork

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the bae2 to my 2bae. <3

A2 took one look at the vast, sandy landscape in front of them and sighed.

"Alright," said A2, one arm shielding her eyes from the blinding sun as she scanned the dunes. "We just need to head northeast from here and --"

She was cut off by a cheerful yelp, and she startled back when her partner leapt past her.

"12S!" A2 yelled after her companion, watching her slide down the dunes with her arms held out at her sides.

"C'mon, A2! That Goliath isn't gonna destroy itself!" 12S laughed, stopping at the base of the dune and beckoning the combat unit to follow.

A2 huffed, smirking as an idea came to mind. 12S looked up questioningly, swallowing when she saw the smile on her face. A2 rarely showed emotion, and 12S was honored to be the one of the few she opened up to. However, lucky as she may be, she knew a look that mischievous could only mean trouble for her.

And she was right, of course.

A2 decided to ignore the slight blush growing on her face, knowing 12S was preoccupied with staring at her. Taking advantage of the other android's distraction, she chose to enact her 'revenge'. Before 12S could react, A2 jumped down the slope, landing flawlessly in a heap of sand right in front of her.

" _A-A2_!" she sputtered, shaking sand out of her long dark hair. She started wiping off her black shirt and accompanying leggings, also making sure to shake her boots in case any had gotten inside.

A2 let out a quiet chuckle and leaned down to wipe a bit of sand off her cheek, before taking off in the direction of their target.

"H-hey, wait for me! Can't leave without your trusty partner now, can you?" 12S called after her, still blushing from the close contact. Once it was clear A2 had no intention of slowing down, she shook herself off once more before taking off after her.

 

\----

 

They reached their destination slower than A2 would've liked, but between her dislike for kicking up the gritty sand and 12S' desire to slide down almost every dune on the way there...

A2 sighed as she swept her gaze across the horizon before turning to her fellow android. However, as soon as she turned around a slight tremor ran beneath their feet. She made eye contact with 12S, who in turn nodded once before patting her Pod and opening its missile program.

As soon as A2 moved a hand towards the hilt of the massive Beastlord on her back, the ground in front of them exploded in a cloud of sand. A2 shielded her eyes with one arm and grabbed 12S' shoulder with the other. Meanwhile 12S had her arm wrapped around A2's waist, keeping her balance and waiting for the tremors to stop. Once the ground had stopped shaking and the dust cleared, they laid eyes upon their target.

It was massive, at least 25 feet of metal coiling on top of itself with a V-shaped head and burning red eyes. It opened its mechanical maw and roared, a horrible screeching noise, and it reminded A2 of the sound of rusty metal grinding together. The two androids clasped their hands over their ears and looked up, only to get a glimpse of a giant tail swinging towards them.

They both leapt backwards as the Goliath slammed its tail down where they had been crouching seconds before.

"What kind of machine is that?! I've never seen anything like it!" A2 yelled, pulling the Beastlord from her back and readying her stance.

Once it had finished the attack, 12S fired a round of missiles towards the machine's face. They made contact and exploded in a cloud of fire and smoke, causing the Goliath to roar once more while shaking its massive head. 

"It's design is based upon an ancient Earth animal known as a snake! They were quick and deadly predators, using venom and bites to take down their prey!" 12S explained, both androids creating distance between themselves and the machine as it uncoiled its huge body.

"Well whatever it is, it's still going to die." A2 growled, leaping towards the machine with a downward slash of her sword. It brought its tail up to meet her, causing a shower of sparks and forcing A2 backwards from the force.

"I know you're impatient and all," shouted 12S, ducking under a swipe of the machine's tail and returning a spray of missiles, "but we're gonna need a plan to take it down!" she finished, looking over at A2.

A2 huffed, scanning the machine for any weaknesses. Her eyes caught on the midsection of the beast, and when she turned towards 12S they shared a nod. 

A2 ran forward brandishing the Beastlord as 12S hung back, switching her pod programs and charging them. The Goliath took note of A2 and brought around its large tail, but this time she was ready. She leapt over the tail, stabbing down with her sword on a section of the mechanical snake's back. The machine screeched as the heavy blade crushed its metal sheeting, and A2 wrenched the sword free while leaping off its back.

Meanwhile, 12S had been charging up 3 Pods' worth of bombs, waiting for A2 to strike. Once her companion was clear, 12S targeted the large energy spheres toward the wound in the monster's body. The Goliath turned its head in shock, rearing back to spit more of the scalding oil at the Scanner unit, but it was already too late. The bombs smashed into the section where A2 had struck previously, and the combined impact caused the part to explode.

The machine screeched and writhed as it's body was effectively bisected, throwing broken parts and scalding oil every which way. A2, who was still relatively close to the beast, was unfortunate enough to be struck by the fluid. She winced, the scalding liquid burning through the top layer of the synthetic skin on her bicep. 12S noticed her struggle and wanted so badly to help her, but she grit her teeth and pulled up her hacking matrix. She had to fulfill her part of the plan, or else they would both be dealing with a very angry snake. While the machine was attempting to move with half a body, she broke through its firewall and began attacking its coding.

But it wasn't a Goliath for no reason.

There were waves and waves of attack barriers to break through, and not all of them she cleared unscathed. Every hit she took in the matrix felt like a solid punch, but she finally reached the last barrier. The defenses were relentless, throwing viruses every direction. Nevertheless, she persisted and focused all her attention on the core. The constant stream of data and malicious code was eventually too much for the management core to handle, and it broke apart.

Once the Goliath had detonated from the broken core, 12S' consciousness was thrust back into her body, leaving her gasping. She felt like she'd been trampled by a boar, but at least she was alive.

She slowly opened her eyes, gasping when she found A2's tired blue eyes so close to her face. 

A2 blinked when their eyes met, concern clear in her expression. She let go of the breath she'd been holding and hugged 12S close. "Idiot..." A2 murmured, laying her chin on top of her head. 12S closed her eyes and hugged the other android tightly. She’d been _so_ worried about A2. Her older model was already having trouble keeping itself maintained, and with the added stress from her wounds…

12S shook her head, breaking the embrace and causing A2 to look at her confused. Her confusion was quickly swept away when 12S lifted her hands to cup her face, before kissing her soundly. A2 made a surprised noise, face bright red, before closing her eyes and returning the affection.

They eventually broke apart, both units still blushing slightly. “You had me worried, A2…” 12S murmured, brushing her fingers around the wound on her bicep. A2 shivered from the feeling of fingertips around the sensitive area. “It’s only fair,” A2 grumbled, covering the fingertips exploring her arm with her own. “Seeing you on the ground like that was less than pleasant.” 12S squeezed A2’s fingers with her own, seeking and giving comfort. A2 tried to play it off by looking off in the distance, but 12S didn’t miss the small smile blooming on the broody android’s face.

A2 stood, securing the Beastlord to her back once more before turning to face 12S."C'mon, let's go home." A2 said as she bent down and lifted 12S, who squirmed a bit. "B-but your arm! It's all burnt around the bicep! It looks painful..." she protested, knowing A2's habit of putting up a tough exterior. A2 simply shook her head, a small smile on her face. "I've had much worse, but we'll get checked by Devola and Popola before we get home, alright?" A2 reassured her companion, who still looked a bit uncertain. 12S sighed, "Fine, but only as long as we both get patched up, got it?" She leveled her intense gaze at A2, who nodded seriously. "Of course, can't tick off my trusty partner now, can I?"

 

\----

 

Much later on in the day, two tired androids were returning to a secluded area of the Forest Kingdom. The area was home to the grave of the great Forest King himself, Ernst. Now, it was also home to units A2 and 12S, who rode into the sanctuary on the back of a large white moose. The albino stopped by a large tree, and 12S unwound her arms from where they were secured around A2’s waist so they could both dismount. The animal wandered over to a corner to graze on the tall grass, 12S waving after it.

Both androids were ready to relax after their fight with the Goliath hours before, and the following checkup at the Resistance Camp. A2 had a large white bandage covering her right bicep, while 12S had one wrapped around her forehead. The two sat down and leaned back against the tree trunk, with 12S’ head resting on A2’s shoulder. She placed a light kiss on the junction of A2’s neck and shoulder, causing a light blush to spread across the older unit’s face. She in turn wrapped an arm around her partner’s shoulders, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

“That snake wasn’t so tough…” 12S mumbled drowsily, nuzzling into A2’s shoulder. The other android chuckled, shaking her head slightly and looking out across the grove they were enclosed in. “Yeah, it was no match for you.” A2 hummed with amusement, rubbing 12S’ shoulder softly. She perked up, grabbing A2’s free hand and squeezing. “It was no match for _us_.” she murmured, nuzzling further into A2 and finally drifting off with a smile on her face. A2 offered a small smile to the sleeping girl, pecking her on the head once more before looking up at the stars. “Yeah. _Us_.”


End file.
